The Pharaoh and the Thief
by YamiSeirei
Summary: Set in Egypt. Nine year old Atemu is bored with the constant lessons his father makes him do. Can a freindship formed with a young street thief help? Non Yaoi. AU Alternate Universe
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the YGO characters (sob)

Summary: Set in Egypt. Nine year old Atemu gets a bit fed up with palace life sometimes as it feels like an endless round of training to take over from his father when the time is right. Can the friendship of a young street thief help him cope? Non Yaoi.

Chapter 1

Atemu threw the papyrus across the table in disgust. He was fed up with all the learning that seemed to be heaped on him all the time. He didn't want to sit reading dreary things about all the pharaohs who had lived and died in the past. He wanted fun.

His tutor frowned.

"Your highness, please continue with your studies. You have an examination at the end of the week and I expect you to gain the highest marks."

"I don't want to read this any more, it's boring." Atemu said pouting.

"Well your father wants you to be well prepared to take over the throne from him when it is time."

Atemu continued to pout and his tutor gave an exasperated sigh.

"Very well your highness you may leave for an hour but I want you back here not a moment longer."

"Yes Asanthi." Atemu said and dashed off most un-prince like to play for an hour.

He wasn't hungry so didn't bother summoning food, he wanted to be outside in the fresh air.

He went out through one of the rear entrances and into the palace gardens. There was a place he liked to go that no one knew about and he could hide there for hours without anyone knowing. He got into trouble sometimes but he didn't care, he liked the solitude.

Ra cast his rays on the ground as he went and Atemu smiled as he loved the sun and spent every minute he wasn't in endless lessons or in audiences with his father, outside where he could enjoy it.

There was an area of the gardens where some bushes grew tightly and it was here that Atemu was heading for. He crawled through a hole in them and came to a tiny clearing amongst them where he could sit without being seen and where Ra penetrated to create freckles of light on the leaf-strewn floor.

He sat for a while enjoying the peace and quiet and no tutor to tell him to stop daydreaming and pay attention. Suddenly a noise caught his attention. He could hear scrambling on the wall somewhere to the left of him. Curiosity got the best of him and he crawled out of his hiding place to see what was going on.

A boy of about his own age came down the wall. Atemu marvelled at how he seemed to be able to grip onto it like a cat though he did slip and slide a little.

He made no sound and waited for the boy to reach the ground. Atemu noticed that he was raggedly dressed and realised that he must be a beggar. He also noticed that he was very thin and thought of the food he had at his beck and call all the time. He felt sorry for him the same as he felt sorry for the street kids that he saw when his father took him out into the market place. He had spoken to his father about it but his father had dismissed him without saying anything. Atemu didn't understand why his father didn't seem to care about the poor people. He decided when he was pharaoh, that he would help them.

The boy reached the ground and darted into the bushes that Atemu had just vacated.

Atemu walked round and peered into them.

"Hello?" He said softly and a small squeak of surprise answered him. "Don't worry I won't harm you." Atemu said quickly trying to reassure the boy.

A pair of bright eyes peered at him from within the bushes. They looked very scared.

Atemu grinned at him and went through his usual hole to find the boy crouched in there.

"Hello." He said.

The boy gulped.

"H…Hello." He stammered.

"What are you doing here? If the guards had seen you, you would have been taken away and locked up."

"I know." The boy said looking even more scared. "But my master threatened me with a bad beating if I did not try and get in."

"Why?"

"He gets me to steal stuff for him as I am good at it, I know it's wrong but he scares me. I'd rather face the whole of the pharaoh's army than him when he's angry."

Atemu had to smile at his comment, as his father's army was a large one!

"Well maybe I can help you, I could give you something to take back to your father." Atemu said thinking that this was a good adventure. "Can you wait here while I get it?"

"Yes okay I'll wait." The boy said and Atemu grinned before crawling out of the bushes and racing back to the palace.

He ran up to his room and found one of his ornate headdresses that he had to wear on formal occasions. He hated them as they were heavy and gave him a headache. He stuffed it under his robe and ran out of his room and made his way to where food was laid out for the pharaoh and other people in the palace to help themselves. Taking a piece of cloth, Atemu filled it with as much food as he could and ran out of the room. The servants in the room smiled to see him thinking that this must be some sort of new game he was playing. They thought it was nice to see the young heir to the throne having fun as some of them thought he didn't have enough of it but never dared to say so aloud.

Atemu clutched the parcel of food and the headdress to him as he ran back to the bushes.

Crawling through he found the boy waiting.

"Here I brought you some food, and this." He said handing the goodies to the boy.

His eyes widened at the sight of the food. This was more than he was usually allowed in an entire week! Eagerly he began to eat while Atemu sat and watched him. He had never seen anyone eat so fast and it fascinated him.

"What is your name?" he asked as the boy ate.

"Bakura." He said with his mouth full. Some of the food fell out as he spoke and Atemu giggled. Bakura grinned back and a friendship was born.

"I'm Atemu." He said.

Bakura had no idea that this was the heir to the throne of Egypt and his future pharaoh he was talking to. Atemu's name was never spoken outside of the palace walls. Bakura presumed he must be the son of one of the priests.

"Wish I lived here." He said wistfully when he was done eating.

"It's no fun." Atemu said. "My father makes me learn all the time and I hate it, I don't have any friends and there is no one else my age in the palace. It's boring." He said making a face and Bakura laughed.

"Can I come back?" Bakura asked. "I don't want to steal anymore." He said sadly. "Maybe my master will leave me alone for a few days when I give him this anyway."

"Why don't you meet me here again tomorrow at this time?" Atemu said thinking id would be fun to have a secret friend only he knew about and guards did not often patrol this area of the gardens so they would be safe.

"Can I really?" Bakura said grinning happily.

"Yes just make sure no one sees you."

"Don't worry they won't" Bakura said and tucking the headdress into his raggedy clothes he and Atemu left the bushes.

Atemu watched his new friend scale the wall and vanish over the top after pausing to wave at him, and then he was gone.

Atemu walked back to the palace humming to himself. He felt better than he had done in months. Finally he had a friend to laugh and share things with and it made him feel warm inside.

He was late getting back to his tutor and was scolded for it but he didn't care. He worked hard and soon made up for lost time. His tutor was impressed and gave him a rare smile.

"Well considering I thought you had deserted me for the rest of the day you have done well, your father will be pleased."

"Thank you, can I go now?" Atemu asked hopefully.

"Yes you may, be sure to return in the morning." His tutor said as Atemu retreated quickly from the room before he changed his mind.

Atemu went to sleep that night hugging himself in excitement. He had a new friend and would see him again the following day. Nut swallowed Ra for another day and Egypt's future pharaoh fell asleep happy.

TBC…

Well that's it for chapter one. For those who don't know, Nut was the Egyptian god of the earth and the Egyptians believed that he swallowed Ra the sun god every evening and spat him out the following morning, pleasant huh?

See you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Chapter 2

Atemu found himself sneaking out of the palace to meet his new friend the following day. He crept to the bushes, fear gripping him in case Bakura had decided not to show up. He came to the bushes and peered into them but he could see nothing. Crawling in he came to the small clearing and disappointment flooded him. Bakura wasn't there.

He waited for a while before deciding that he obviously wasn't coming. He decided to return to the palace and his dreary studies so crawled back out through the hole.

He was just walking away when the same noise came to his ears that he had heard yesterday. It was the sound of someone coming over the wall.

Atemu watched eagerly as the snow-white haired young thief climbed down the wall. He wished he could climb like that. Sadly his father never so much as let him climb a tree let alone a large wall such as the one surrounding the Palace.

Bakura reached the floor and darted into the bushes again Atemu already having crawled back in. He carried in his robes another cloth full of food as he guessed Bakura would be hungry. He was correct.

The young thief fell on the food rapturously and ate it as if he hadn't eaten for a week though he had a pretty good meal the day before. He finished and grinned.

"Thanks Atemu." He said.

"No problem, there's always plenty of food to spare." He said and Bakura's face fell.

"I wish there was more food at home." He said sadly. "My master is always complaining that there isn't enough to go round and since he seems to hate me, I get the least out of all of us. He says the pharaoh is evil and mean and charges too much in tax."

Atemu balked at the mention of his father being evil. He didn't he think he was, he was his father and he loved him. Of course the face he showed when he was with him may be a totally different one than the one he showed when dealing with affairs of the country.

"How many of you are there?" He asked curious.

"Ten, my master took us off the streets one by one and gave us a roof over our heads. I am grateful to him for that and in return I try and please him but I'm scared when he gets angry and beats me. That headdress you gave me yesterday pleased him and he didn't beat me but he may do later I don't know."

Atemu's heart went out to his friend. His father had never raised a hand to him in anger, nor had anyone else for that matter.

"Does he beat you every day?" He asked sadness pricking at his soul.

"Most days yes, sometimes he is drunk when I get home and it's worse then."

"He beats you harder?"

"No, he…" Bakura paused unable to reveal what happened to him when the master was drunk.

"It's okay." Atemu said sensing it was too painful for Bakura to talk about.

"I wish I could help you more." He added wistfully.

"It's okay, I was born on the streets and it's all I have ever known, I have always survived though and I will carry on surviving. He seems sick sometimes, maybe he will not live for much longer and I can find a new master, or manage on my own."

Atemu hugged Bakura tightly showing rather than telling him that he would be there for him if he needed him. Surprised at first, Bakura hugged back. When they broke apart, there were tears in the white haired thief's eyes.

"No one ever did that to me before." He said softly. "Thanks."

"It's okay." Atemu said reaching over to brush them from his face.

"I have to go." Bakura said suddenly. His master had ordered him out to steal things and time was pressing. If he went home empty-handed, there would be more beatings for him and judging by the amount that his master had been drinking, tonight it would be a whole lot worse than just a beating.

He wished he knew why the master singled him out like he did, he was the same age as the other boys and yet the master never used them like he did him.

"Okay." Atemu said sadly. "Come back tomorrow okay?"

"Yes all right." Bakura said and Atemu hugged him again before crawling out to check the coast was clear. There was no one around and so he called to Bakura to let him know.

Bakura scaled the wall and waved at the top again before vanishing. Atemu waved back and returned to the palace to continue his studies.

Bakura walked round the marketplace stealing an apple here and a necklace there. He was so good at this that nobody ever noticed until it was too late and the beautiful white haired boy was gone.

He returned home, his raggedy clothes full of all sorts of goodies. He had even managed to steal a money pouch from one unsuspecting person and it had felt heavy to him so he knew the master would be pleased with him. Maybe he wouldn't touch him tonight, maybe he would just let him go to bed. Bakura knew it was a slim hope but it cheered him a little.

"Where have you been?" His master demanded when he entered the small hovel where he lived.

"I have been working for you master." Bakura said spilling his spoils onto the mat including the pouch of money.

His master eyed it greedily and grabbing it, he counted it out. His eyes glinted at the sight of the gold.

"You have done well for a change. Along with that headdress you brought back yesterday."

"Thank you master."

"Now go, get out of my sight."

"Yes master." Bakura said disappearing into the only other room in the hovel that was the sleeping room.

"Bakura!" a voice said.

"Hey Ryou." Bakura said ruffling his friend's hair.

Ryou smiled softly and then winced.

"The master was pleased with you, not so with me." Ryou said and showed Bakura his back that showed a criss crossing of nasty bleeding welts. Bakura gasped.

"What happened?"

"I only managed to bring back a few things." Ryou said sadly. "He took his whip to me."

Bidding Ryou to lie face down on the floor, Bakura soaked a piece of cloth in some water that was in a bowl and began to bathe his friend's wounds.

"I'm sorry we're here Ryou." He said as he tenderly washed his back. (A.N. Bakura being tender awww!)

"It's okay, it's not your fault and at least we're guaranteed food here."

"Oh that reminds me, here." Bakura said taking some food out from where he had stashed it earlier when Atemu had brought him some. He had decided to save some for later but it didn't look as if the master had given any to Ryou that day.

"Wow 'Kura where did you find that?" Ryou asked as his face lit up.

"A friend." Bakura said simply. "Go on eat." He urged.

Ryou ate hungrily and it was soon gone.

"You have a new friend?" Ryou asked when he was done.

"Yes there may be more of this tomorrow and I promise I'll bring you some okay?"

"Okay." The other said wondering whom on earth this friend was. He must be rich as the food had tasted fantastic with lots of flavourings in it and it was only the rich who could afford to eat like that.

Ryou felt a pang of jealousy. He hoped this new friend wasn't going to steal Bakura away from him, he was the only one who had been nice to him when he had first come to this place. He looked at Bakura's face and was reassured when he his smiling down on him protectively.

The other boys drifted in one by one and sat talking quietly about what they had got up to that day. Eventually the master's favourite walked in and sat on the only mattress in the room which was reserved for him alone while the rest of the boys had to sleep top to toe in order to fit in the room.

"I only brought back an apple and the master told me I'd done better than any of you." He bragged and Bakura turned away in disgust. Ryou had done better than him and yet his back was testament to a whipping. Bakura seethed silently and swore one day that he would get them both out of there if he could.

He lay with Ryou's feet on one side of his head and the youngest boy's on the other side. He had only been five when the master had found him on the streets and brought him back yet because of his age and size, he was able to steal a lot for the master. He could pretend to be lost and get close enough to strangers to make a good haul. He wasn't really treated any differently to any of the others, he was still beaten though maybe less savagely than the older ones. Still it was no life for a child as young as him.

He wondered how they could escape. The only thing he could think of was to go back to living on the streets and starving again. Living here was marginally better than that as the nights were so very cold. Bakura pulled the thin blanked round him and drifted into a fitful sleep.

Atemu was sitting on his balcony watching Ra sink low on the horizon. He could see the Pyramids outlined by the glorious colours of the sunset and it made them look dark and foreboding. This was his favourite place to sit and think and right now he was wishing his new friend were there with him. It felt so very lonely sitting there all on his own and he sighed.

He thought of Bakura and felt sorry that his master treated him badly. He wished that he could help him somehow but nothing came to mind. Sighing again, he rose and summoned his personal slaves to draw him a bath and ready him for bed.

TBC.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not owned by me!

Chapter 3

Atemu and Bakura met every day over the following few weeks. Always at the same time, Bakura would come over the wall and find Atemu waiting in the bushes. He would have the occasional treasure for Bakura to take back to his master but he still came with bruises every other day where his master would beat him. Atemu longed for a way to help him escape but it seemed there were none.

"When I'm older, I'll help you I promise." Atemu said. Bakura still didn't know that it was the heir to the throne of Egypt that he was talking to every day and Atemu never mentioned it as he didn't want the young thief to treat him any differently. In those few short weeks, they had become fast friends and shared many secrets and laughs with each other.

No one questioned Atemu as to where he vanished off to for an hour each day they just presumed he was playing.

One day Bakura came with some sad news for Atemu.

"I'm going to run away with Ryou." He said. "We need to go far away where the master won't find us and can't beat us anymore. I can work to feed us and it will be better."

Atemu was distraught. The first real friend he had ever had was going away and he perhaps wouldn't see him again, ever.

"Stay." He begged but Bakura shook his head.

"I can't, I need to get the both of us away from him. Don't worry I'll be fine."

The prince knew that Bakura cared a great deal for Ryou and would do anything to avoid him getting a beating from the master and after all they spent a whole lot more time together than he and Bakura ever had or ever could.

"I understand, one day I hope we'll see each other again." He said hopefully. They hugged and tears were shed as Bakura crept back over the palace wall and waved at the top for the last time.

Atemu made his way back to the palace with his shoulders slumped still crying. He felt more alone than ever and half wished he had never met Bakura as he wouldn't feel so bad to have never made a friend than to have made one and have it taken away.

He didn't return to his lessons but instead went to his room. He told the guards on duty that he didn't want to be disturbed and once his door was locked, he allowed the tears to flow again as he cried for his lost friend.

Atemu's tutor became angry when Atemu did not return to his lessons and went to find him.

"I'm sorry, the prince does not wish to be disturbed." The guards told him when he came to Atemu's rooms.

He tried to get past them but they wouldn't allow it so he stalked off to find someone to make the prince come out.

The priestess Isis was in the library studying books when the tutor came across her.

"Priestess, I wonder if you would talk to the prince, he was supposed to return for his lessons this afternoon but he never came back. He is in his room and does not wish to be disturbed."

"Well then he will not want me either." Isis said evenly noting his agitated tone.

"But he needs to learn." He protested.

"Well I think for today you can leave him. The prince is not one who usually does this so I am sure he will be back to normal soon."

"Very well." He said annoyed and stalked off leaving Isis to wonder what was the matter with the young prince.

Putting her books away, Isis made her way to Atemu's rooms but was stopped by the guards.

"The prince wishes to be left alone." They said though not unkindly as everyone liked the soft spoken priestess.

"I sense the prince is very miserable." She said. "I don't think he should be alone."

The guards looked at each other unsure. Atemu had ordered that he wasn't to be disturbed but Isis could sense his misery. They were still deciding what to do when the door opened and Atemu peered round.

"Isis, I thought I heard you, can I talk to you?"

Isis bowed low.

"Yes of course my prince."

She followed Atemu into his room and closed the door.

"What is wrong your highness?" She asked.

"I have a secret to tell you Isis but you must swear never to tell another living soul about it." Atemu said rather fiercely.

"Yes of course." Isis said wondering what on earth the secret was. Well it couldn't be anything too awful but she never expected what Atemu told her.

He told her all about Bakura coming over the wall and them becoming friends and now he was gone. At this point Atemu started crying again and Isis put her arms round him to comfort him. Prince or not, he still needed a shoulder to cry on sometimes.

"Your highness it is not good to be a friend to thieves, they will only betray you in the end."

"Bakura wouldn't." Atemu said knowing that his white-haired friend would never betray him.

"I hope you're correct young prince." Isis said. She wished Atemu had chosen to tell someone else about this but she would stick to her promise and not tell anyone else.

Bakura managed to escape with Ryou that night when the master fell asleep drunk. They ran through the deserted streets until they left the city when they slowed to a walk.

They eventually came to rest under a rock and slept there until dawn when they started out again.

Towards the evening, they came to a village in the desert and took a much needed drink from the well in the middle of it.

"We need to find somewhere to sleep." Bakura said gently seeing how tired Ryou was. There was an alley between two houses that they found and curling up together, they slept.

The hustle and bustle of village life woke them both the following morning and they set about finding someone to work for. Ryou let Bakura do the talking after all he was the better one at it and by the end of the day, he had landed them both a job working for the village bakery fetching and carrying. They were given food and a place to sleep and for the first time in their lives, they thought things were looking up for them.

Back at the palace, Atemu threw himself into his studies with enthusiasm. It helped him to not think about Bakura if he had to concentrate on the scrolls and papyrus that his tutor kept giving him.

Unbeknown to Atemu, The priest Akunadin was planning to create the seven Millennium Weapons using sacrifices from a village he had in mind. He did not tell the Pharaoh how they were going to be created, he merely asked permission to create them for peace by any means necessary.

The Pharaoh gave his consent and so the priest gathered an army together and set off for the village.

Bakura and Ryou were working in the back of the bakery shop when it happened. The Pharaoh's men marched into the village and suddenly there were shouts and screaming.

"Let no one escape!" Akunadin shouted to his men who split up and began to kill everyone they came across. Bakura grabbed Ryou and they both darted out of the back of the shop to hide. There was a roadway separating them from a wall where they could hide. There were no guards in sight so Bakura took Ryou's hand and dashed across the street with him. He made it letting go of Ryou's hand at the last minute.

He dived behind the wall and lay there panting but Ryou never joined him.

He took a look back and gasped in horror as he saw the fate of his best friend.

A soldier had grabbed the youngster just before he was able to dive behind the wall. Bakura hadn't been seen so he was safe but he felt sickened to his very soul when he saw Ryou dragged into the middle of the street and his throat slit viciously.

He wanted to cry out, to run to him but he knew he was already dead as the soldiers laughing, let him fall to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Ryou." Bakura whispered tears falling from his eyes. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils as the guards set fire to the village. Bakura crouched behind the wall weeping for his lost friend who he had treated like a brother until all fell silent save for the crackle of the burning buildings which mercifully never went near where he was.

He waited until he was sure it was safe before he crept out and ran to his friend who was still lying where he had been left.

Pulling the body to him he wept more tears until he had none left to shed.

They had been the Pharaoh's men who had done this evil. Doubtless they were following the orders of the Pharaoh himself. What kind of Pharaoh orders the slaughter of an entire village for seemingly no reason at all?

Bakura had no idea but one thing he was sure of as the darkness of hatred entered his soul, The Pharaoh was going to pay for this atrocity…

TBC…


End file.
